the Legend of Nester
by ACEAMC
Summary: This is a retaliation to My Inner Life that shows that a Zelda fic is best when it doesn't suck, the charecters are flawed and it isn't retarded. It also explains Ordona's place in OoT.
1. On my way

The Legend of Nester:

Violin of Destiny.

The title up there's a bit of a misnomer. This isn't a legend so much as just a simple story of one guy who helped out another guy who in turn changed the world. And I'm no great hero, if that's what you're thinking. I _know_ a hero of sorts, but I'm just a normal guy with a normal story. But if it's any consolation I am that story's main character, which is in a way a hero. Plus I'm not a troublemaker, so if you're not part of the problem you're part of the solution, right? Well, I guess I'm boring you with all this fancy-talk; you guys came here for a story, didn't you? Well, it all started a while ago; in a place you fancy folk have probably never heard of: Ordon village, my old hometown. It's really out of the way, on the very edge of Hyrule. I'm going back there a few days from now, but that's beside the point.

Ordon's a very different place then Hyrule, a place where children are sent to work from the day they can walk and talk, and the people live in carved-out trees. We had to: we were completely cut off from the rest of Hyrule for a long time thanks to a big gorge outside our village, so we didn't have any bricks or way of getting more able body workers until we built the bridge. It isn't much of a bridge, just some planks tied to some rope, but considering how we make these things I'm sure it'll last a couple hundred years. Anyways, Ordon used to be a really miserable place, what with all the child labor and the poverty. Every morning, from sun-up to sun down, me and my seven brothers and five sisters (It pays to have big families down there) would help my dad tend to the goats. My dad also happened to be the mayor of our town. You know a place stinks when the mayor is also town goatherd. These goats were as big as cows and their horns could really pack a punch when they got charging, and they stank worse than a pack of skunks. We were expected to do that for the rest of our lives, granted that we survive doing it in childhood. You know that number of siblings up there? That was the starting number of siblings. Currently I think I have four brothers and two sisters, but it's been a long time since I've had any word from my family, so for all I know it could be less. So as you can see, Ordon wasn't a very good place back then.

It was just two months before my third sister bit it, but right after the new bridge had been built, that I finished making it: Ordonian oak and goat-gut strings bound together into a violin. I had never played one before, but my mother had before dying in the birth of my youngest brother Rowan. For the next two months I practiced it every night on the outskirts of town, next to a spring we got water from. I wasn't a master at it, but at least I knew how to do something other than herd goats. Then that day came: the day Mari died.

"Hold the line tight, Nester!" my older brother Zeke shouted one stormy night as we were preparing the goat stalls for the squalls we were sure to face later that night. I was raising the last few bales of hay to the lofts where would stay dry while Zeke and Mari stored them away. Ruth, Beth, and Carlov were sealing up a few cracks with whatever sealants we had while Joni and Rowan finished feeding the goats. Thunder roared in the distance "You two done up there?" Joni barked over the wind and rain, "I'd like to go home before the lightning hits!"

"Keep your pants on, were' almost done!" Mari shouted back as Zeke started down the ladder.

"Everything look sound for the night?" I asked as Mari began to climb down as well.

"Yeah, we should be-" A huge crash and a blinding light cut her off. I fell over on my butt from the blast and began to smell smoke.

"What happened?" Beth asked dazed before I noticed that embers were falling all around us.

"WE'VE BEEN STRUCK BY LIGHTNING!" Zeke in horror as he started opening stables and freeing goats, "GET AS MANY OUT AS YOU CAN!" We started opening stables as the fire spread faster then we could move. After we saved twelve goats did ceiling beams start falling. "That's it, we've saved enough!" Ruth barked, "How 'bout we save ourselves?" we started to bolt for the door before Mari caught my hand, "Nester, we forgot Gus!" Gus was an old donkey of ours, and the only real mode of transportation we had. Not that we needed it at that moment, but still why waste a donkey? We ran to the back of the stalls where Gus was held and quickly undid the latches, and as soon as we did Gus darted out of there as fast as a donkey could go.

Mari and I followed suit but just as I got outside the whole building collapsed. "That could've been us!" I whimpered, turning around to look at the destroyed building, "Next time Mari, don't go back for stupid-" that's when I noticed Mari wasn't there. "Guy's where's Mari?" a moment of silence followed, before Rowan spoke:

"You got out first."

We tried to get her out, even with Dad's help, but it was too late. We walked home in silence, except for Zeke. When we got inside, he grumbled, "If you two hadn't had gone back for that stupid donkey . . ." he never spoke to me again. Tears were streaming down my face, and hardly anyone in my family ever cries. I didn't even take off my clothes before flopping down onto my bed and sobbing for who knows how long. I tried sleeping after that, but I couldn't keep my eyes closed for more than a minute. Then I looked over at my old wooden shelf, where my violin was sitting. In a daze, I picked it up along with the only piece of music I knew how to play; a song my mother wrote called the theme of Ordon.

The rain had finally let up when I made it to the shattered remains of the stable, but the wood was still damp in some places and glowing in others. I picked a spot that wasn't too wet or too hot to sit on near where we'd left Mari, covered in the only clean cloth we had: our tablecloth. My mother had died just six years before this, and now I was playing for two departed souls. "This . . . this is The Theme of Ordon in G major." I sobbed, trying to wipe away all my tears before playing. Usually I'd play it calmly, almost cheerfully, but this time I played it slowly and sadly, as my thoughts turned to Mom and Mari, "Why did you two haft to die?" I thought as new tears began to form, "is our life so dangerous that any of us could die at any moment. After thinking and crying a little longer I stopped playing and dissolved into tears amongst the ashes of the stable. "You sound just like your mother when you play." I looked up and wiped my eyes until the tears and ashes no longer blurred my vision. It was my dad. "Oh, sorry Dad, was I keeping you up?" I stammered, picking up my violin and dusting myself off, "I'm so sorry!"

He shook his head, his old grey eyes looking a bit happy despite his deep frown, "You've picked up on it fast, you're well on your way to being an expert." He sat down on the log I was just sitting on, and not knowing what else to do, I sat down next to him. "It's my fault, you know." I said, letting my head droop into my hands, "Mari wanted to go back for Gus; I should have told her it was too dangerous." Dad shook his head, "This stable wouldn't have burnt down at all if it had shingles on the roof instead of simple wood to protect it. Besides, since Mari was the eldest I had told her what I had planned to use Gus for soon."

"You see, beyond that bridge we just built is a great big land called Hyrule. It's got a castle; that is, a big fancy stone building where important people live. At least, that's what the rumor is; never actually got beyond those woods just outside of town. But if we could establish a trade route with them, we could make Ordon a better, safer place with the things our town doesn't have already. Things like metal, bricks, certain stones, and more food. I was going to head out a few days from now to speak to the royals at Hyrule, but now I have a better idea."

"What? Move there?" I asked, enchanted with the idea of such a place.

"No, but you're close. You see, they wouldn't pay a mind to a grizzled old man with nothing to offer but a few goats, but maybe they'll pay attention to a talented boy like you. Nester, if you can play for the Hyrulean royal family and put in a good word for Ordon, you could turn this place into something livable, and for that I would pass on my mayor hood to you. What do you say?"

He had me at "play for the royal family", "I'll do it!"

The next few days I gathered up everything I would need and said goodbye to the villagers, which outside my family only included one or two families. Our village isn't very old, hence it being so small. The day I left the entire village gathered at the edge of the settlement, where a giant tree shaded a tiny glen. Everyone except Zeke who made up some excuse about going to fish, but nobody seemed to mind. "Goodbye Nester, good luck!" Rowan chirped with a smile.

"Tell the royal family I said hi!" Beth added.

"Bring me back a souvenir!" Joni added.

"Don't forget to mention my shop!" added the local shopkeeper, an eight-year-old-girl.

"Remember Nester, we're counting on you." Dad added, hugging me.

"Don't worry guys. I don't know how long it'll take, but I'll see this through until Hyrule puts us on the map." With that being said I hopped onto Gus and started off though the shaded glen, onward towards Hyrule.

Before crossing the bridge, I stopped at Ordon spring to practice one more time and pray to the local deity, named Ordona. We're not very original on names, I know. "Great spirit Ordona, please watch over Ordon in my absence. And if you could, send word to Mom and Mari about how much better I am trying to make this place. I'm doing it for them, as well as for the rest of the villagers. Oh, and please protect me along the way so I can actually make it. Thank you, amen."

My short prayer done, I hopped onto Gus and spurred him across the bridge. "Hurry up Gus, pick up your feet! We've got a kingdom to see!" I shouted along the way as he trotted towards our destination.


	2. Denied and Denied again

Denied and denied again

We started out early in the morning and had to cross though a few caves to get to Hyrule field, just as the sun began to set. That's when I saw it on the horizon: shining like a pearl and standing higher than a tree, Hyrule castle. I beamed at it, urging Gus into a gallop to get there. But just as I reached it, the great wooden bridge that connected it to the bridge rose off the ground and closed off the wonder. I groaned and jumped off Gus, "Hey, let me in!" I shouted as I hit it with a stick from beyond the ditch of water surrounding it. But I stopped when I heard the sound of earth and grass being clawed away behind me; I reluctantly turned around to find the reason why I was closed off from Hyrule Castle so early. A crowd of child-sized skeletons began to stalk towards me and Gus, with pure evil glowing inside their eyes. I jumped back onto Gus and jumped over the army, heading anywhere that led to safety. As I rode on I saw a sign on an odd mound in the middle of a field that merely said "Lon-Lon Ranch" and without hesitation rode inside. I kept spurring him on until Gus stopped on his own and I finally opened my eyes. I was in a corral, an empty one that is. But at least there weren't any more skeleton kids wandering about, so it was good enough for me. I noticed a few buildings behind the corral and that they had lights on inside them and knew I could stay here for the night. "Stay Gus, I'm gonna go see if I can't get us a place to sleep for the night."

Inside one building I found nothing but cuccos, but inside another one I found several horses, the first cow I had ever seen, and a skinny old man with a mustache and a sneer. "Excuse me, sir?" the guy grumbled, but I went on, "as you can see, it's nightfall, and as you probably know the creepy skeleton-kids are out tonight. So I was hoping, maybe I could get a place to stay for me and my donkey for the night?" the man glared at me before replying in a crow-like voice, "Stable fee's twenty rupees, and a room'll cost you forty more." I dug through my crude wallet, to only find fifteen rupees, "Sorry sir. I don't have much money, but I don't need a-" "if you don't have money, then get outta the ranch!"

"But sir, there are monsters outside! Like I was saying, I don't need a room or a stable, just a place to wait out the night before moving on to Hyrule castle. I could even stay out in the corral if necessary."

"Look kid, even if I don't give you a room, keeping you here loses me money. Now get out!"

"I can work for my rent, see?" I pulled out my violin, "I can play you a lullaby worth the trou-" he flashed his pitchfork at me and pointed it at my throat. "Listen kid: I pretty much run this ranch, and I already have one annoying rug rat to deal with, so just move along before I make you a stalchild!" I gulped and ran out of there before he could make good on his threat.

As I rode out of the ranch, I worked out a plan: I'd ride around in circles until sun-up then carry on with my plan. As soon as I beyond the ranch I lashed Gus into a gallop. Suddenly I'm tossed off him and face plant in the dirt, when I turn around I see several stalchildren holding down Gus and clawing at him. I shouted at them and began beating them with the stick I used to knock on the bridge until they got off him . . . and began swarming me. I tried fending them off, but each time I knocked one off two more popped up. And their claws smarted something awful when they dug into my skin. For a little while I thought I was gonna die, but suddenly a rooster crowed and they all just sunk into the ground, like they never existed at all. I looked like a mess at that point: my hair was covered with mud and blood, I had a black eye, my clothes were all torn and grass stained, and I was covered with cuts. But the bridge to Hyrule castle had lowered again, so I didn't care much. I got Gus back on his hooves and walked quickly inside, before anything else could attack me.

Hyrule castle town was like nothing I had ever seen before: white brick buildings reaching into the sky, tons of people strolling about without a care in the world, paved walkways instead of dirt, and in the back of it all a giant castle kissing the skies above. Oh, what a town it was! I set straight to work cleaning myself off and making a beeline for Hyrule castle, Gus following dutifully. Before introducing myself to the guard, I gave myself one final look over in a mirror I had with me: my hair still looked muddy, but it always looks like that as you can see. My black eye was still there, but there was nothing I could do about that. And my cuts had stopped bleeding and were covered well enough by old greasy cloak, which was the only change of clothes I had. Feeling there was nothing more I could do for my appearance; I got out my violin and walked casually up to the guard, "Excuse me, sir: I've come here to play for the Hyrulean Royal family sometime this week, so if you could find a time to squeeze me in, that'd be great!" the guard looked me over with a stern eye before replying, "Sorry kid. We've had a terrible breach in security recently and can't let anyone pass unless they have an official summons from the king himself. That means no impromptu musicians either."

At first I felt heartbroken, but I picked up my resolve and tried again, "Could you at least tell them who I am and what I want? My name is Nester of Ordon, and all I ask is that they listen to my violin and learn of my homeland. Here, I'll even play you a sample of my music so you can tell them about how good it is." I started to play the Theme of Ordon, and for a minute it seemed he liked the tune, until someone broke my concentration by remarking, "What is _that_ racket?" I turned around to see a tall man with greenish-brown skin and blood red hair. His clothes seemed to be a mix of royal garb and barbarian armor, and there was something about his leer that made me duck down and hide my violin behind my back. "Ah, good morning Lord Ganondorf, you're early!"

"Naturally, I wouldn't miss a meeting with the king for the world!" then he looked down at me, and I shuttered as he spoke, "What is this urchin doing disturbing the peace? In my land you could be executed for raising such a din!" before the guard could respond, I got over my terror and spoke, "Actually, Lord Ganondorf, _sir,_ I'm hoping to play for the Hyrulean Royal family. Maybe you could put in a good word for me at that meeting of yours, that would be awful han-"

"A good word!" Ganondorf laughed a deep mocking laugh, "Listen kid, I am a very important man. I gain absolutely nothing from helping a squirt like you play for the Royals, so why don't you run along and practice in a dark cave where no one can hear you for a few years or until you can actually hold a note. _Then _I might consider recommending you to play for the Hyrulean dungeon, now get out of my way." With that the creepy Royal stepped passed the ornate onto the path to Hyrule castle, the path I wished I could follow him on.

"Lord Ganondorf has a point Nester," the guard replied, "The Hyrulean Royal family will only want a polished musician to play for them, so if you do want to get inside, you haft to practice until you're perfect. Maybe once you're more recognized as a musician in Hyrule itself you will be allowed to play here. But until then, I cannot allow you in."

"Fine, whatever." I replied, walking away, "I'll practice right behind that cliff thing, and the next traveler who hears me will haft to put in a good word for me!"

I sat behind that outcrop of rock, leaning against Gus who was napping like a rock himself, and began to play the Theme of Ordon any way I thought it could be played: cheerfully, sadly, a march, a ballad, even as a lullaby. Eventually I felt the presence of someone listening and opened my eyes to look. A girl, about four years younger than me, was listening to my playing. Her hair was also bright red, but her smile was more endearing than terrifying. "Lemme guess," I grinned as well, leaning my violin against Gus, "you need to get inside too, but they won't let you in because you don't have a summons?"

"Wow, how'd you know?" she replied in a cheery voice.

"Same thing happened to me," I held out my hand, "Name's Nester, Nester of Ordon. I'm a traveling musician, sorta."

She took my hand and shook it briskly, "Names Malon, Malon of Lon Lon ranch. I'm a farm girl."

"Lon Lon ranch, huh? You wouldn't happen to know a tightwad with a mustache there, would you?"

"Skinny or fat?"

"Ah, fairly skinny."

"That would be Ingo. Why?"

"No reason, 'cept he kicked me out into the freaking field of skeleton children because I couldn't pay stable fee or boarding for one night."

"Oh wow, I'm sorry! He can get like that when my dad's not around. You see, my dad went into Hyrule castle yesterday to deliver a crate of milk, and he's been gone ever since! I think he fell asleep inside somewhere." At that point I noticed that nightfall had come, but at that point I no longer cared. I would stay there and practice until I got inside. And of course finish this conversation.

"Ah, it's alright. So I'm guessing you're going to wait here and tell someone who can get inside that if they find him to wake him up and send him out here, right?"

"Yeah! But how do you know?"

"That's what I'm doing. Someday soon I'm going to play for the Hyrulean Royals so they can help fix up my rotten backwater village and make it livable, like this place. But until someone tells the Royals about my playing skills, that's not happening. So I gotta practice here until someone who can get in can send the word on my playing skills to the Royals so I can get summoned in and save my village. Same concept."

"Wow, cool. Can I hear what you'll be playing?"

"I don't see why not. This is the Theme of Ordon, c minor."

I played it with a lively tempo and played it again a few other ways. "Is that the only song you're going to play?" she asked when I finished.

"It's the only song I know." She looked puzzled, or possible worried.

"Nester let me give you a bit of advice: people like diversity. At Lon Lon ranch, for example, we raise horses, cows and cuccos. If you play more than one song for the Royals, they're more likely to enjoy it and listen to what you haft to say. So before you go play at Hyrule castle, you should learn a few more songs."

"Ok, do you know any songs?" I asked, happy to get some advice that didn't belittle me.

"Just one: a song my mom wrote for a colt on our ranch named Epona. It goes like this:

_Epona, Epona  
Come close  
Together the two of us  
Won't be sad  
So I say  
Epona  
Come here, come to me  
You are the one  
I will protect_

This is the way I remember it  
That day's dawn  
The moon was going down  
The sun was coming up  
And then you were born 

_Epona, Epona  
Come close  
Together the two of us  
Won't be sad  
So I say  
Epona  
Come here  
My song  
Listen to it_

This is how I remember it  
Back in the day  
I think that for your sake my mother  
Made this song

Tu lu lu, tu lu lu  
Tu lu lu lu lu  
Together the two of us  
Won't be sad

Tu lu lu, tu lu lu  
Tu lu lu lu lu  
Don't forget  
This song  
This song 

I picked up the tune well enough and soon we were playing away under the light of the moon. I admit the song was charming; not to mention Malon had an amazing voice, almost angelic if you pardon the cheesiness of it. Even Gus seemed to like it; he woke up and seemed to smile at it. When it was over, I heard clapping in front of us. Seems another young boy had been listening to us during the song. He was dressed all in green, and had a fluffy blue thing floating around him. "Lemme guess," I grinned, "Here on official business?"


	3. A fella named Link

A fella named Link

"Yes actually," he replied in a high, almost girl like voice, "How did you know?"

"Join the club," I replied, setting down my violin yet again, "We have important business inside, but the guards won't let us in. We're waiting for someone who can get in to pass on word about us." I held out my hand again, "My name is Nester, Nester of Ordon. I'm a musician." He took it and gave it a small shake, "My name's Link, I'm a Kokiri." He said in a much deeper yet still childish voice, "And this is my fairy Navi." The little blue thing flying around him fluttered about five inches away from my nose and said hi in the same high voice I thought belonged to Link.

"Oh, you're a fairy boy from the forest!" Malon squealed over-enthusiastically, "My names Malon, my dad owns Lon Lon ranch."

"So Link," I leaned back onto Gus, "What's your official business in Hyrule castle?"

"Uhh, well . . ." he muttered, "It's classified, but it's pretty urgent; so I'm gonna sneak in. you guys want to come with me?"

"Nah," I replied, "I'm sorta a representative of Ordon, and so if we get caught it would make us look bad. But while you're in there could you tell the royals that a talented violinist is waiting outside, dying to let them hear his music?"

"I don't think I'll come in either, but if you see my dad somewhere inside could you wake him up?" Malon asked, producing a chicken egg seemingly out of nowhere, "I've been incubating this egg very carefully, it might help."

"All right, I'll do that." Link started climbing some vines to left, "I'll see if I can't help you out."

"Good luck!" we called as he disappeared over the rock face and carried on inside, Navi tailing overhead diligently.

While he was gone Malon and I practiced Epona's song until I knew it by heart, and in turn I taught her the words to Ordon's theme and practiced that until long past sun-up. "Can we practice it one more time?" She asked before I started to nod off. "All right, but just one more time." I played the intro and background while she sang lyrics that were still fuzzy in my mind:

_Beneath the pines and oaks,_

_We go about our lives,_

_The proud, strong Oradonian folk,_

_We will carry on, no matter how hard the storms, will blow._

_With fields, teeming with goats,_

_A Pure and sacred spring,_

_And people like no one else on earth,_

_So hard working, yet humble they are!_

_We thank Ordona for all we have,_

_And live a simple worker's life,_

_Ordona, please keep my family strong,_

_We will carry on!_

Just as we were about to move on to the second verse, someone came running from the castle towards us, shouting Malon's name at the top of his lungs. "Dad?" Malon stopped singing and I lowered my instrument. Around the bend came a man slightly chubbier than me and clearly much older, sporting a thick mustache, blue overalls and a red undershirt."Hi, Malon." The man panted after he stopped running. For the first time ever, Malon looked mad, "Dad, where have you been? I've been waiting around Hyrule market for days without you, and Ingo's being a jerk again. He actually had the gall to turn this boy away to the stalchildren while we were gone."  
"S-sorry dear," Malon's dad sighed, "Lucky that kid you sent woke me up, or I would've been asleep for maybe a week!" He then turned to me after saying this, "sorry about what my farmhand did. Name's Talon and you are welcome to my ranch anytime."

"Thank you sir, you can just call me Nester. Someday soon I might go there, after I play for the royal family."

"Oho, you're going to play for the royal family? Well, maybe Malon can go with you and you can do a duet!"

"Dad," Malon grumbled, "It's time to go home!"

"Oh, right!" Talon followed Malon away from the road to Hyrule and back towards their ranch, "see you around, Nester."

"Bye, Malon, Bye Talon!" I leaned back into Gus and yawned, "I could use some sleep, don't run off boy."

I don't know how long I slept; At least a few hours, but probably not enough. I woke up when I heard footsteps traveling down the road towards Castle town. I opened one eye to see who it was, and though at first it was blurry I saw a white-haired woman walk past in bluish spandex with a kid in green tailing behind. It took my brain a few minutes to register that it was Link. When it did I jumped up, woke up Gus and followed them out though castle town and back out into

Hyrule field. As I left castle town a bright flash met us on the drawbridge, spooking both me and Gus and temporarily blinding us. When we could see again, Link was standing there, staring back at us. "Hey Link," I grinned, getting excited, "How'd your business in the castle go?"

"Oh, it went well." He said, laughing nervously.

"That's good, that's good . . . So when am I going on? They are gonna try and squeeze me into their schedule, right?" Link averted his eyes, and a sinking feeling came over me, "Don't tell me . . ." I muttered, "The royals? You did tell them about me, didn't you?"

"Sorry Nester, I . . . kind of forgot."

"What do you mean, you "Kind of" forgot?" I growled, "Sure, help out the pretty chick with her problem but screw the official from Ordon!"

"I'll make it up to you, honest! I'm going back to Hyrule in a few days, so I'll tell them then! Please don't be mad at me!" I calmed down quickly when I heard that, "Fine, but until then I'm staying with you to see that you keep your word; Like I have anywhere else to be."

"What? No!" Replied Navi, "Why should we babysit you? What'll we get out of it?"

"I have a donkey we can ride, I'm not a bad cook, plus I'm not bad at heavy lifting."

"Fine, you can come with us." Link relented.

"No Link, this is a bad idea. He'll just slow us down!"

"I won't be a burden, I promise! In fact, with Gus here, we'd speed you up!"

"Navi, its fine. I screwed up and it's only fair that he sees me set things right. If it were anyone else I'd do the same."

"All right, so where we heading?" I climbed onto Gus, Link climbing on behind me.

"Go east towards those stairs, we need to go though Kakariko Village and onto Death Mountain."

"Sounds good to me."


End file.
